Birth Certificate - Is there a difference between an original one and a certified one?

I'm going to getting myself a state ID in a day, and was reading up on the rquirments from the DMV. They say I need, and I quote a "certified birth certificate."





I have my original birth certificate (not a copy). Is this the same thing? If not, how do I go about getting a certified one and how long does it take?|||Usually when you get the copy of it, the place will stamp the paper (so it has the raised marks on it) to prove it's an original copy from them, and not a photocopy which could have been altered.|||Explanation:


Certified implies that they can verify that it is infact a legitimate birth certificate. With a photocopy of any official documents, it's hard to tell whether the document is legitimate or not (There's printing artifacts, the inevitable errors involved in the scan. The fact that it's fairly simple to make a fake with a simple image editing program).





Short Answer:


For situations like this, having the original with you to show them is required. They simply need t see the original, make a copy and sign/stamp/mark the copy in some way.|||A certified birth certificate has a stamp or impression of approval on it. I recently had to replace mine. I had to call the state of which I was born in. It must have some indication on it. If not it won't be approved as a form of ID.|||The original is fine. They specify "certified" so people won't just bring in a photocopy.